Attack on the Four Nations
by Whatsmyhaircolor
Summary: Ba Sing Se. Here humanity makes its final stand against the Titans, who appeared from seemingly nowhere only 3 years after Aang ended the war with the Fire Nation. Now Aang has been dead for nearly thirty years, and the Avatar cycle is feared broken. His friends and family struggle to keep hope alive, especially with the walls of Ba Sing Se failing to live up to their name.
1. Chapter 1

_It couldn't have been more than three years after the Hundred-Year War with the Fire Nation ended. The world was finally able to breathe easily. The Avatar had fulfilled his duty to the world, and though many lives were lost in the pursuit of peace, it was a victory. It was to be the beginning of a long road to rebuilding what the Fire Nation had so systematically torn down. Little did we know the road was about to be torn apart, devoured in the maw of a titanic evil._

_ The first incident was on Whale Tail Island. Monstrous creatures, resembling men but with twisted features and tremendous height, devoured a village. Two villages. Three villages. These monsters were devouring hundreds of people. They had no apparent motive, and no one could say where they came from. Before Team Avatar could even mobilize to the island to investigate and possibly exterminate the beasts, Ember Island reported identical beats. And so did teams in the Western and Eastern Air Temples, and Omashu, and the Northern Water Tribe. From every corner of the world, they appeared. _

_ This was the beginning of the reign of the Titans._

**Chapter 1: **27 years later . . .

Lake Lougi was her only retreat. Few people ever visited the lake, a direct result of its location being so close to the outer wall. How ironic it was that they had expanded so close to the edge of the wall elsewhere; some villages had even begun to build houses into the wall. On her far left were some fishermen, to her far right a family playing in the water. Here, though, was silent.

She valued silence greatly these days, more than people valued meat and fish. Sometimes it was taxing though, to be alone with no sounds but the whisperings of her own thoughts. The last three decades had left much for her mind to reflect on and inappropriately remember. She strained to push the thoughts from her mind, though this was only a temporary solution. Today was a solemn day. With a gentle lift of her hand, the waters of the shore parted. The steps, laid for her by Toph many years ago, were covered with slower creatures that had not yet shied away from the parting waters.

More serene than the surface of the lake were the sights beneath the waves. The water rippled around her, the sunlight dancing in curves and bends the air could not mimic. The fish schooled around her; a routine of over two decades had left a good imprint on their minds, and on their children's children. The task was routine, but the meaning had never depreciated. Indeed, she would probably continue this until the day she died. Even if age took her abilities in bending away from her, she would have her children assist her. For now though, they knew not where their mother was.

Finally she reached her destination. The ice shell had not decayed as much as it had in previous years. Regardless, she refurbished the casing before parting it for her entry. It was dark, and while cold for her body warmed her spirit. Aang, the only bust that had been salvaged, sat atop an altar. His glider, Appa's bison whistle, a drawing of their friends which Sokka had drawn decades back, and a portrait of them both, Katara and Aang, on their wedding day. She never worried anymore about whether or not they rushed into their relationship.

"Hi Aang," she said softly as she lit incense, "Sorry I'm a little late this time." She laughed at herself; she was always so apologetic on this one day only. "They were worried about some five meters gathering along one of the mountain ranges. It's so ridiculous." Next she drew a flask. This was a newer act she added to her tradition, her first drink having been taken only seven years ago. It burned going down, but it always felt better afterwards. Until it wore off that is. "I've got a lot to tell."

Sokka carefully examined the thrusters of the new 3D-maneuvering gear model. The design should, in theory, provide a stronger thrust with less gas than any other proposed build. Structurally they seemed very sound, and the lightweight metals were almost disorienting in his hands. A great many Titans would, hopefully, fall at the hands of this gear. Water benders were too rare these days to throw them all at the Titans, but they were losing too many people. At least metal benders were becoming more common.

"The new designs ready?" Startled, Sokka dropped the thruster, which fortunately suspended itself in the air. Toph. "Will you ever stop doing that?" "Doing what?" she replied as she placed the thruster on the table nearby. "Scaring the life out of me." Sokka asserted, grabbing the device and inspecting it for damages. "I'd rather the Titans get me than have you give me a heart attack." "You know you love it. I keep your reflexes sharp."

"You've probably dulled them by now." Sokka thought to himself. The device was free of damage, so his anger subsided to a degree. "How're the metal benders doing?" He wanted to change the topic, whatever it took to avoid Toph continuing her antics. "Alright." Her tone immediately changed. It dropped into some shade of disappointment, or maybe sadness? "I'm getting more volunteers. We're not on par with the Corps, but we're getting there." "What's wrong?" Sokka asked; why beat around the bush?

"We sent a team out of the wall again. We tried to clear one of the plains. The Titans had shifted away from this area, so we wanted to erect a new wall. But then we realized that the ones we spotted were abnormals." She drew in a sharp breath. "Thirty dead." No tears. "I'm sorry Toph." "Don't be. They gave their lives so the water benders could make it back safely." "That's more than most would do for strangers. Did you kill any?" "Four kills. That's what we have to show for all of it."

Three hundred feet. The Titans, monstrous as they were, were insignificant by comparison to the wall. Suki hated them. She was the last of her village, her only reason for being alive was that she was with Team Avatar when the Titans appeared. She drew her fans. The blades were so discolored, having been replaced time and time again from countless Titan kills. Each was a small sliver of retribution, pieces of a whole she knew she could never complete but would always strive for anyways. If not for Sokka, she would've leapt from the wall years ago. He was her rock. Overcome with emotions, she left the wall at once for Sokka's workshop.

One of the only truly serene places one could find in Ba Sing Se was the Jasmine Dragon. Though humanity and the world were ravaged, Iroh's philosophies and delicious teas brought some flicker of light to the darkness. Katara's children visited often, as did Sokka and Suki's child, though now they could hardly be called children. Kya, the older twin of her son Pakku, was making a name for herself as a skilled potential member of the Scout Corps. Though older than most new recruits would be, she had been honing her skills for nearly a decade. Pakku on the other hand was a famous biologist, responsible for developing the super-crops which allowed Ba Sing Se's population to expand by 100,000 new additions three years ago. Today though, they were just customers.

Today, their mother was a drunk at the bottom of Lake Lougi. Today their uncle was an overstressed inventor dealing with a nuisance called Toph. Today his wife Suki was a passenger aboard an emotional rollercoaster. Most importantly, today they were all survivors, coping with the new world and trying to live their lives as best they could. Today, 27 years after the end began.


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2: **The Illusion's Retirement

"Another cup Pakku?" He zoned out. The world of botany and biology projecting from the book faded away, revealing Iroh standing beside him, kettle steaming and ready to pour. "Yes please," he hurriedly replied, "Sorry about that." "No problem at all," Iroh began as he poured the tea, "That's your passion. We all can get so lost in the things we love." "We've all got to do our part, and this is mine." "Your father would be proud." Father. Pakku let the word resonate in his head. Aang, the father he could never know, never be held by, never be instructed by, never speak to. "I wish I could know him," he solemnly admitted, "Because the way everyone talks about him, he would've been the best father a boy could ask for." "You are his legacy." Iroh asserted. "How you think you know him and how you can know him are two different things." "What does that mean?"

"It means we'll do a better job at killing the Titans." said Sokka as he demonstrated the new thruster. He launched across the workshop in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. Suki and Toph's hair fluttered in the breeze. "That's incredible," said Suki, "Do you think it'll help us move forward?" "Hopefully," Sokka shouted optimistically, "But the least it can do is help us not get eaten as often." "That's faster than the fire benders," Suki began, "This'll really revolutionize Titan combat." "You're telling me," said Toph, "Now someone can finally keep up with my metal benders." "Which in turn," Sokka added, "Will stop them from dying so often. I'm feeling optimistic about this."

"Empty. Probably should've stopped half-way through." Katara laid on the wet ground, her head pounding and her visions swirling. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this Aang." She lifted the flask above her head. She titled it, a few drops of whiskey dripping onto her forehead. She flicked them off, and added them to the ice walls around her. "The kids are doing great Aang. They're going to change the world. Unless, we all die first. But, they don't love me." She burped, holding back her vomit. "Well, they do. But, they don't. I'm so distant from them." She fumbled over to the altar, knocking its contents over. The bust landed in her lap, Aang's eternally frozen expression staring her.

"I don't want them to hate me."

"Have you heard from mom at all today?" asked Kya. "I didn't even see her leave the house today." "I haven't," Pakku replied, "She probably left a lot earlier." "Earlier than what?" "Than the usual time she mysteriously ditches us and vanishes for practically a day." "I hope she's alright, I am concerned about her, but, she's just gotten more distant over the years." "Maybe it's because of how dad died?" Kya considered her brother's statement. "It'd be nice if we knew how he died," she began, "Hell, it'd be nice if anyone knew how he died." "Mom does." Kya scoffed. "She'll never tell, will she?"

_Katara passed out underwater. While she was alone and drunk in her ice temple to Aang, her children grew worried. They decided to visit their Uncle Sokka at the outer wall. They had heard he would be testing new equipment the following afternoon. Ba Sing Se is a vast city, and the trip took all night._

"Are you sure you want to test it now?" asked Sokka as Toph lifted them up the wall. Considering how Suki had geared up the moment she got her hands on the new thruster, this question was fairly pointless. Still, visiting the Outer Wall was always an occasion for some concern. Beyond it, there roamed the bane of the world. "Why wouldn't I be?" Suki replied. "I always get to test your new gear models." "I know, but the Titans are at a local high today." "Especially the abnormals." Toph added. "I can feel them right now." "Then I'll be careful. I've done this, what, a dozen times before? I even landed outside the wall that one time." "Don't remind me." Sokka pleaded in frustration. "That was the reason why I got grey hairs."

Their platform leveled out with the top of the wall. The sun had barely climbed to the center of the sky; Suki had them skip lunch to test the new gear early. They stepped off, and Toph hurled the rock over the wall. They gathered to watch as it flattened a three meter, and how the others behaved as though nothing had happened. "They're as dumb as ever." Suki joked. "That's one thing that'll never change, I guess." "Please be careful," Sokka pleaded, "I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you." Suki gave Sokka a light kiss on his cheek. "You worry too much. Be prepared to change my fan blades, alright?" He smiled, and pulled her in for a hug. "I'll try to get them to match the fan this time." Suki laughed, and she pulled away. She approached the edge of the wall, and she leapt off.

As she disappeared over the side of the wall, Sokka and Toph heard another platform rise behind them. Pakku and Kya stepped off, and the earth bender assistant descended down the wall alone. "Hi Uncle," said Kya, "We checked your workshop first, but you weren't there." "So we assumed we'd find you here." Pakku continued. "It's great to see you guys," said Sokka as he pulled the two in for a hug, "But I can't help but feel like you didn't come here just for a little reunion." Kya began to say something, but a side-thought from Sokka interrupted. "Actually," he began, "Let's go to the edge to talk. I've got to see how the new gear works."

"You made a new model?" asked Kya. "What is that, a Gen. 17?" "Yeah." Perhaps thirty meters below them, Suki skirted along the wall. She moved incredibly fast, faster than Sokka had done in the workshop. Inertia and gravity on her side, Suki seemed to them as an unstoppable force. "She's amazing." Pakku observed. "She's so much faster than the Gen. 16's." "This could be it," said Toph, "This could actually help us move forward from Ba Sing Se." "When do I get one?" asked Kya. "Can mine be in turquoise?"

The walls, the ground, the sky, they all zoomed by so quickly. The feeling was almost euphoric. The only sound was the air whooshing by. The Titans were soundless specks, her friends and loved ones the same. Here, she was in a purgatory-esque state, but one with cautious bliss as opposed to millennial waiting. The outside world was so beautiful. She thought back to when they passed through the Serpent's Pass, back when they were young and fighting to save the world from itself. Now she fought to save humanity from, who could say? No one knew what the Titans were, where they came from, or why they devoured humans if they only regurgitated them later on. At least they knew how to kill them. She glanced at her fans. They longed for the blood of the Titans; they longed for vengeance.

A flock of birds caught her eye. They were casually flying over the walls, free from the tyranny of the world's vermin.

Suddenly, the sky ahead of her grew dark. In the next instance a massive bolt of lightning fell from the sky. No, it wasn't lightning. It was slower, and originated in the sky. It impacted some space just outside the wall. A massive cloud of steam erupted, climbing hundreds of meters into the air. The force of the bolt shook her cables form the wall. Quickly regaining her orientation, she zipped back to the others.

Sokka clung to the edge of the wall. He looked down, incapable of saving the strangers who had not been as fortunate as he had been. Toph gently kicked him up, and Kya and Pakku embraced him. "What the hell happened?" he asked, out of breath. "Where's Suki?" "I'm here!" she shouted as she landed beside him. "The lightning strike landed over-"

Where the lightning had stuck, no more than a thousand feet from where they stood, where the mountain of steam had once billowed, stood a Titan. This Titan looked over the wall, both of its eyes resting well above the uppermost level. Those eyes, those pitch black spheres, with an iris and pupil sitting in the ocean of darkness. They were gazing down on the farmlands and small towns below. And the body! There was no skin, only muscle and bone. Its hands gripped the wall, the stone cracking from their might. A massive, muscular leg raised high above the ground behind it. Its fingers right ended their grip, and his head ducked down. "He's going to kick the wall down!" shouted Toph. "Hold on!" Toph slammed the ground, erecting a stone barrier around them. Everyone held on to each other, bracing for the impact.

The force was tremendous. The barrier was ripped from the ground, tumbling precariously along the width of the wall. There so happened to be a village, a small farming community of about a hundred people, who had begun to build their homes into the wall. The massive foot of the Titan swept them all away in an instant, the rocky debris crushing those not eviscerated by the shock of the kick. More debris flew for what would eventually be miles, boulders the size of houses flung as though they were pebbles. Crop fields, bountiful harvests eliminated in the blink of an eye, were reduced to rocky wastes. This act alone would eventually claim thousands.

Toph regained her footing and planted their shell back into the wall. She quickly threw the rock down, but the colossal Titan was gone. The wall was crumbling, collapsing in a waterfall of earth, and there was another enormous cloud of steam, but the beast was gone. "Where is he?" asked Sokka. "He's completely gone," Toph replied, "If he was anywhere near this city I could feel him." Suddenly, like a dog's ears twitching to a snap, her feet swerved towards the hole. "They're coming," she uttered, "The Titans are pouring into the wall!" "How many?" Suki asked as she helped Kya and Pokku to their feet. "Dozens have already come through, and hundreds more are following." "Hundreds?" "That massive one drew them all towards him. They're invading!"


	3. Chapter 3

_Commercial Break #1_

_ The modern layout of Ba Sing Se has changed greatly since the end of the Hundred Year War. The vast amount of space between the outermost wall and the inner wall containing the city, formerly designated as the agrarian zone, has been divided into dozens of districts over the course of nearly three decades. Most of this redesign has been primarily a city-wide fail safe; if the outermost wall were ever to fail, the Titans could easily be funneled while earthbenders make repairs._

**Chapter 3:** Spurred

The hole in the wall climbed all the way to the top, bringing down a hundred meters of boulder and earth. Only the poisonous influence of the past Fire Nation had caused such a tragedy in the city's extensive history. The Titans poured through the breach, abnormals and stock models alike. The district the Colossal Titan had smashed into, Hope, was a rounded square, eighty kilometers in length on each side, with about three hundred thousand people inside. Connected to its rear wall was the Crop Citadel, a 160 by 160 kilometer square of farmland and military bases. It was from here that half the military forces of Ba Sing Se resupplied from. Additionally, troop coordination, communication relays between outposts, and countless other logistics were managed primarily within the Citadel.

In this instance though, the Citadel was like a bee hive a child had struck with a stone. The warriors with buzzed, moving as quickly as they could to respond to the threat. It would take time to reinforce the troops stationed in Hope, and time was never something to be wasted when dealing with Titans. One could almost swear that the cries of agony from Hope could be heard within the Citadel. The far more likely cause was the debris landing many kilometers away from ground zero, devastating countless additional lives.

"Yes sir," the clerk frantically replied, "The Citadel is doing everything we can to get to you as soon as possible. Earthbender transports are en route, and we're sending a detachment of metalbenders and waterbenders." The line disconnected before the frantic soldier could respond. "Hello? Hello?" "The connection's been lost," said the man behind her, "You already knew that." "I know Zuko, but I didn't want to accept it." "This is not something we ever could've prepared for." Zuko continued. "But the walks are a hundred meters high," the clerk snapped, "How could something just kick a hole through it?"

"Help!" Unfortunately, the child's cries were drowned out amongst the countless others. Soldiers zipped through the air around her, many being plucked mid-flight and squashed like bugs in the maw of a Titan. The four meter stood before the child, a young blonde girl of maybe five. Its hand lifted her up, amazingly without crushing her. Many wondered how the Titans could be so vicious, yet so spontaneously gentle in their grip. "Mommy, daddy, help me!" Her parents had already met their fate. They were at the local market when a boulder pulverized them. Their death would be less painful, more blissful than that which their daughter would have to endure. Its jaws opened wide, gnarled and jagged teeth revealing themselves in a glistening flash. She kicked and thrashed, screamed and cried, all in vain. She easily fit inside its mouth.

_Whoosh. Whack_.

A torrent of blood erupted from the nape of the Titan. Its eyes rolled back in a death stare, its hand slipping from its mouth and dropping the little girl. In the next instant, the Titan's murderer caught the child, and sent both of them on a high speed rendezvous with a clock tower. The Titans stomped beneath them, arms flying up to catch them. The little girl buried her face in her savior's shoulder, tears rolling down her face. She stole a glance at her savior. Her bloody fans glistened in the daylight.

Their landing on the tower was more along the lines of a crash, but nevertheless they were safe. The woman, as she turned out to be, set the child down beside her. "Thank you miss," the child uttered, "You saved me." "We're not out of the woods yet though." "Suki!" Sokka and the others flew down to the tower, swords drawn and blood sizzling away. "Don't run off like that." "Tell that to this little girl," Suki quickly countered, "Or would you have rather had her devoured?" The child cowered behind Suki, fresh tears still rolling down her face. "I'm sorry," said Sokka, "To you, and you Suki."

"I'd hate to ruin a moment like this," said Kya, "But those Titans are getting awfully close." "Agreed," said Toph, "We should reposition somewhere safer." "With her in tow." Suki added. "We're all she has right now." "Don't forget about us ma'am!" shouted an enthusiastic voice from behind the tower. A metalbender, followed closely by a squad from the local Scouting Corps division, landed beside them. "Wow, this tower is crowded." He picked up the little girl, who clung to his arm like a monkey to its mother. "Squad Wolf Claw will get her to safety." "What's the status on Citadel reinforcements?" asked Pokku. "This district will be toast if they don't come soon." "We got the message across," the metalbender replied, "But communications are down. They'll be here in a few hours, going off of their recorded drill times." "It's better than nothing," Suki replied, "And eighty kilometers is a lot of ground to cover. Can we get earthbenders on the hole?" "No way, it's too hot at ground zero. There are hundreds of them."

Katara stumbled out of the lake, her head swirling. "No more drinking," she slurred, "Ever, forever until this wears off. Bye bye Aang." She tripped, landing in the shallows of the lake. "No fair, earthbenders moved the ground! Always moving the ground." A harsh tone pierced her ears. She angrily threw the water splashing around her aside while she searched for the source. Running towards her was a screaming family of four. "Is that Katara?" the mother asked as she kneeled beside her. "Ma'am, are you alright?" "Was it you that moved the ground?" "She's drunk?" the father exclaimed. "This early?" "I sobered up," Katara interrupted, "But then I remembered I had two more flasks. I'm kind of fit-shaced." "Regardless," the mother continued, "You need to come with us." "Why?" "The Titans have broken through the wall."

A four meter collapsed into a butcher's shop. Kya victoriously flew away the corpse, whipping the blood from her fingers. "That's number three," she shouted to her brother, who was flying besides her, "How about you little man?" "Two," he replied, "But now-" He stretched his arms apart as he slid down an alley. The Achilles Tendons of two four meters were split like wet tissue paper, their monstrous forms collapsing face first into the pavement. Pokku launched himself into the air, and dove into their napes, one clean slice after another, two identical chunklets of flesh bouncing away. "That makes four." "Show-off prick," Kya replied, "They were mine! I totally called them." "Hey, you always get the fun kills, Madame Prodigy." "Want to stop being kids?" Suki asked as she zoomed overhead. "We're trying to escape, not rack up kill counts." "How much longer until we reach the Citadel gate?" asked Toph. "Moving by our own accord through the districts is so tedious." "Glad to see your priorities are in check," said Sokka, "But it shouldn't be too long if we keep our confrontations to a minimum." "Think they'll be with us the whole way?" "I can almost guarantee it."

"You'll be heading out now then?" the clerk asked as Zuko retrieved his maneuvering gear. "But I already know the answer, don't I?" "I'm sure you do." he replied. "Katara's kids, Suki, Toph, and Sokka were all near ground zero, near Hope. I have to make sure I'm doing whatever I can to help them." "It's noble sir, but please, if you still feel as though you owe the Avatar-" "Mai." His voice rose close to frustration. Mai's expression sunk to a blank, disinterested stare. "You lost your will to fight, I didn't." "I didn't lose my will to fight Zuko. I decided that I had enough darkness and gloom in my life as it was. I didn't need to keep seeing my friends die." The room grew unbearably silent. The other communications officers and attendants had grown used to their occasional arguments, sometimes dealing with them multiple times a day for weeks on end. Without another word being said, Zuko left the room. Mai silently returned to her desk. How many more pictures would she have to collect postmortem. "Finally," said Suki, panting and out of breath, "We're here." "Couldn't be soon enough either," said Kya, "My tank is almost empty." "Mine too," said Sokka, "All of our tanks are just about empty." "People weren't evacuating fast enough." said Kya. "The reinforcements are probably already on top of the wall." "We can scale the wall," said Suki, "But that's it. After that we risk becoming slaves to gravity again." "Looks like you were right Kya," Pokku observed, "Reinforcements are starting to flow from the command center. That'll help some." "To be insensitive," Suki began, "Will this ease the food shortages?" Pokku mulled her question over for nearly a minute. None of them spoke in that time, each eagerly awaiting his response with mixed feelings of guilt and anxiety. "We'll lose a lot of people." Pokku replied. "At the very least a hundred-fifty thousand. It would take care of the food shortages throughout most of the Outer-Inner Wall Space." The answer was expected, but hearing it made looking at the bright side of things even more insensitive. "Then let's make sure those people can eat longer for their whole lives," said Kya, "Their natural lives. Let's solve the shortages with more super-crops bro, yeah?" "Yeah."

"Titan charging!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:** The Charge

Toph could barely believe what her feet were feeling. It appeared from nowhere, at least not from anywhere she could identify. It was so tall, fifteen meters at least. Its body was massive, muscular, armored. The others Titans didn't pay it any regard. Some moved towards it, others away, but nothing strong enough to be indicative of anything worthwhile. Then it happened. Its whole body flexed, his arms pumped, he crouched. And then, it charged. The houses around him shattered, the other Titans were thrown off their feet. It paid no regard to anything in its way, Titan or human, building or not, they were all shattered in its wake. Shit, how close is it? What?

"Titan charging!" Of course, those atop the Hope Wall spotted it just about the time Toph did. They will say there was a flash of light, smaller than before and shielded by buildings and debris, but a light nonetheless. Then it stood there, high above the other Titans and most of the surrounding buildings. They had less time than Toph did to fearfully admire its powerful form, their slower senses being overwhelmed when its bulk charged, faster than anything they had ever seen. As Toph, far below them and well out of hearing range, cried out in horror, they sounded their secondary alarm. Titan incoming.

The others turned, the armored beast's form growing larger and larger by the second. The ground shook beneath them, tiles began to shake, windows quiver. They fired their gear into distant towers, whipping away from the path of destruction as fast as they could. Toph, however, remained on the ground. She knew the Titan would charge through the gate, and with him take countless lives. The Citadel would also be vulnerable to an invasion, and without its position secured they could never hope to repair the Outer Wall.

"Toph!" shouted Suki. "What the hell is she doing? Toph!" "I can't leave yet," Toph shouted in reply, "If this wall falls we lose our strongest military base." "We can't stop it, we'll just have to-" "Just make sure those people get through the wall," she interjected, "And far away from here." "Don't get yourself killed over this," Kya pleaded, "We'll need you to clean all this shit up." "The shit hasn't even hit the fan yet," Toph replied, "But it will if I don't do something. What's after the Citadel? The Inner Wall, and we can't allow this much tower rigors to be lost." "If we survive this," Sokka shouted, "We need to have a serious talk about-" "Just go!"

She took her stance. The stone path began to shake apart, and the windows cracked. Titans couldn't be subdued directly through bending, but if she decimated his path, perhaps it could slow him down, allowing them the chance to slice through his nape. Behind her, she tore the ground apart, raising jagged boulders and rocks up from beneath the street. Ahead of her, she erected two large mounds of rock, adorning them with razor-sharp spikes of metal, generously donated form the abandoned houses around her. No matter how fast he was, how thick the armor may be, this would have to delay him. Finally, she launched herself away from the danger zone. She would watch her plan come together.

Or perhaps fall apart, such is the case of the best laid plans. The Armored Titan, now so close not one window could remain intact, noticed her traps. He grabbed four titans, four three meter titans, in his hand. With one swing, the two in his right hand smashed the mounds, decimating the rock and the Titans. The other two he threw onto the edge of the jagged path. They were impaled, and with a mighty stomp the Armored Titan planted his foot on their torsos and leapt. Over the entire trap he flew. Toph's jaw dropped in disbelief. Unbeknownst to her but know too well by the others, the Titan looked at her. What could it possibly be thinking? Could it understand her connection to the trap? Of course it did. Its current course of action confirmed its intelligence, something unheard of in the beats until today.

"I failed?" Toph fell to her knees. The screams of terror from the panicking civilians were drowned out. She wasn't aware of Sokka, Suki, and the others desperately trying to get people through the wall. "I couldn't stop it." The Titan was half five hundred meters from the wall. Forward defense cannons and troops were decimated. Some tried to go for the nape, but it dodged and smashed their weak bodies. Sokka and Suki veered off to one side, and Kya and Pokku to another. They couldn't help the people anymore, and them staying where they were would only get them killed. The Titan rounded its shoulder and ducked his head. Toph took her feet off the ground. She couldn't bear to see the travesty. All she could manage was a simple phrase. "Forgive me."

In an instant, the people beneath its feet erupted in torrents of gore, decimated beyond belief. There was no hesitation, no deceleration, nothing but a monster with a single purpose as it would appear. It smashed through the wall, but the word" smashed" does a great injustice. Decimated, devastated, or annihilated would be close to fitting but still inappropriate. It glided through the wall, the wall guaranteed to keep humanity safe. Every wall was me at to be an absolute certainty in the strength of humanity. People lived inside them with enough confidence to live their lives, fearful of the Titans but confident that they would never be a threatening reality. Instead, this wall too was attacked by a Titan, which left a massive, gaping hole in its wake. On the other side countless more died as the Titan slowed itself down. It slid several hundred meters before it finally stopped. It turned around, making sure that a sufficient amount of devastation was dealt to humanity.

Fortunately the wall did not collapse this time, but the structure as a whole was severely weakened. Cracks stretched all the way to the top, and stones fell from every point along the height of the wall. Sokka and the others anchored themselves away from the cracks. "Oh my god," he said, "This couldn't get much worse." "Don't jinx it!" Kya scolded. "Talk like that and the Inner Wall will probably fall next!" "Don't even joke about that!" Sokka replied. "Can we stop fighting?" Suki interrupted. "We have bigger issues right now. We can't plug this hole and, wait, where's Toph?" "She's still over there," answered Pokku, "And she's not getting up." "Getting up?" Suki barked. "Sokka, let's go!"

"Toph," Suki began, "You did the best you could. No one could've stopped that thing." "Do you know how useless I feel?" Toph snapped back at Suki as she set her feet down. She could now see the devastation, feel the Titan on the other side of the wall. People were running, but there weren't enough footsteps. "So many people just died, and I tried to help them, but I failed! It blew right though my traps." "It's intelligent," said Sokka, "And that's not something we could ever say about the Titans. This one, and the Colossal, we never could've prepared for." "Even if we knew about them," Suki added, "I don't think anything could've stopped them. All that matters right now is stopping the Titans from getting through, and allowing evacuation efforts and repair teams all the time they need." "But what about the Armored Titan?" Toph asked.

Zuko would be the only one to witness the next atrocity. Its mouth opened, and from it a wave of flames erupted. Today was a day of shocking revelations about the Titans, but the only relation to bending that had been identified was that they could not be encased in the elements through unnatural causes. There was small cannon cluster that opened fire on the Titan. It spun, engulfing them in flames and burning the vegetation to a crisp. Seemingly satisfied with its work, the Armored Titan charged again, not forward into the Citadel, but back into Hope. Everyone else would witness this, but only Zuko could, for the moment, appreciate the level of destruction that would be brought down on the already traumatized civilians.


End file.
